Chapter 50 Chapter 50

Chapter 50 Chapter 50
Violet's POV

I found Max in the training grounds, alone.

Perfect.

He was working through combat drills, his movements sharp and controlled. Sweat glistened on his skin despite the cool morning air.

I watched him for a moment, steeling myself for what I was about to do.

Then I stepped forward.

"Max."

He stopped mid-strike, turning to face me. His expression brightened immediately. "Violet. I was hoping to see you."

"We need to talk," I said flatly.

The smile faded from his face. "That doesn't sound good."

"It's not." I crossed my arms. "I'm rejecting you, Max. And this time, you're going to accept it."

Silence.

He stared at me, his jaw working as he processed my words.

Then he shook his head. "No."

"No?" I repeated, anger flaring. "You don't get to just say no."

"I do, actually." He stepped closer. "Because I don't accept your rejection. I never have."

"Max.."

"You can keep trying to push me away, Violet. But it won't work." His voice was steady. Certain. "I like you. I actually like you. And I'm not giving up on this bond just because you're scared."

My hands clenched into fists. "I'm not scared."

"Yes, you are." He moved even closer, his eyes locked on mine. "You're terrified of what this means. Of what we could be. So you keep running. Keep rejecting me. But I'm still here."

"Stop," I said through gritted teeth. "Just stop."

"Why?" he challenged. "Why do you want this to end so badly?"

"Because I don't want a mate!" The words burst out of me. Loud. Raw. "I don't want this bond. I don't want you looking at me like I'm some gift from the Moon Goddess. I don't want…"

"What?" Max interrupted. "You don't want to be cared about? You don't want someone who sees you for who you really are?"

"You don't know who I really am."

"Then let me learn." His voice softened. "Let me in, Violet. Stop fighting this."

I opened my mouth to argue, to tell him he was delusional, but the words caught in my throat.

Because part of me a small, traitorous part wanted to say yes.

Wanted to stop running.

Wanted to see what would happen if I just let myself feel this bond instead of fighting it every second.

But I couldn't.

I wouldn't.

"Accept the rejection," I said quietly. "Please, Max. Just accept it."

"No." He reached for my hand, but I pulled away. "I'm not going to make this easy for you, Violet. If you really want to break this bond, you're going to have to look me in the eye and tell me you feel nothing. That this means nothing to you."

I met his gaze. Tried to summon the words.

But they wouldn't come.

Because it would be a lie.

And we both knew it.

"Damn it," I muttered, turning away from him.

"Violet…"

"I need air."

I walked away before he could stop me, my heart pounding against my ribs.

Why couldn't he just accept it? Why did he have to make this so complicated?

I headed toward the palace, needing distance. Needing space to think.

But as I rounded the corner near the gardens, I nearly collided with someone.

Sophia.

She stumbled back, startled. "Oh! Sorry, I wasn't..Violet?"

I steadied myself, taking a breath. "It's fine."

She studied my face, her expression shifting from surprise to concern. "Are you okay? You look upset."

"I'm fine," I said automatically.

"You don't look fine." She tilted her head. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Okay." She didn't push. Just stood there, waiting.

The silence stretched between us.

Then, before I could stop myself, I said, "Max won't accept my rejection."

Sophia's eyebrows rose. "He rejected your rejection?"

"Apparently that's a thing wolves can do."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "It is. Marcus did the same thing to me once. Before everything fell apart."

I looked at her, surprised. "Really?"

"Really." She sighed. "I tried to reject him after I found out about one of his affairs. He refused. Said the bond was too strong, that we were meant to be together." She laughed bitterly. "Obviously, that didn't work out."

"Marcus is an idiot," I said without thinking.

Sophia's smile widened. "He really is."

We stood there for a moment, and something unexpected happened.

A connection. An understanding.

"You don't like him either," Sophia said. It wasn't a question.

"I think he's a controlling, paranoid bastard who treats people like pawns," I said bluntly.

Sophia laughed. Actually laughed. "That's the most accurate description of him I've ever heard."

"I'm good at reading people."

"Clearly." She gestured toward a nearby bench. "Want to sit? I could use the company. And honestly, it's nice talking to someone who sees Marcus for what he really is."

I hesitated, then nodded. "Sure."

We sat, the morning sun warming the stone beneath us.

"So," Sophia said after a moment. "You and Max."

I groaned. "Please don't."

"I'm just saying, he seems like a good guy. Better than most wolves I've met."

"That's not the point."

"Then what is the point?" She turned to face me fully. "Why are you so against this bond?"

I looked away, watching a bird hop across the garden path. "Because bonds complicate things. They make you vulnerable. They give someone else power over you."

"Or," Sophia said gently, "they give you someone to trust. Someone who has your back."

"That's what everyone says. Until they use that trust against you."

Sophia was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "Marcus used our bond against me. He manipulated it, twisted it, made me feel like I was nothing without him." Her voice was steady. Strong. "But that wasn't the bond's fault. That was his. And when I finally found my real mate Ethan I realized what a bond is supposed to feel like. It's supposed to lift you up, not tear you down."

I met her eyes. Saw the sincerity there.

"Max isn't Marcus," she continued. "And from what I've seen, he cares about you. Really cares."

"That's what scares me," I admitted quietly.

Sophia reached over and squeezed my hand. "I get it. Trust is hard. Especially after you've been hurt. But maybe, just maybe, Max is worth the risk."

I didn't respond. Couldn't.

Because part of me was starting to wonder if she was right.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, and I realized something.

I actually liked Sophia.

She wasn't what I expected. Wasn't the weak, manipulated Luna I'd assumed she'd be when I first heard about her.

She was strong. Resilient. Real.

"Thank you," I said eventually.

She smiled. "For what?"

"For not being annoying."

Sophia laughed. "That's the nicest compliment I've gotten in a while."

Before I could respond, footsteps approached.

Ethan appeared, his expression serious. "There you are. I've been looking for you."

Sophia stood immediately. "What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you. Both of you, actually." He glanced at me. "This involves the investigation."

My interest piqued. "What did you find?"

"Not here." He looked around the garden. "Inside. My office."

We followed him through the palace corridors to his office. He closed the door behind us and moved to his desk, pulling out a folder.

"I had my people dig into Lila's background," he said, opening the file. "Her identity, her history, everything we could find."

"And?" Sophia asked.

Ethan's jaw tightened. "And it doesn't match. Any of it."

I leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

"Lila Shadowvale the name, the pack she claimed to be from, the witch registry none of it exists." He spread papers across the desk. "There's no record of anyone by that name in any pack database. No birth records. No family lineage. Nothing."

Sophia's face paled. "How is that possible?"

"It's not," Ethan said. "Unless she completely fabricated her identity."

"Or," I said slowly, "unless she's not what she claimed to be at all."

They both looked at me.

I stood, pacing toward the window. My mind raced, connecting pieces.

"What are you thinking?" Ethan asked.

I didn't answer immediately. Just stared out at the grounds, processing.

Then I turned back to them. "What if Lila isn't just a witch?"

Sophia frowned. "What else would she be?"

"A half-wolf."

Silence.

Ethan's eyes widened slightly. "That would explain.."

"Everything," I finished. "Why she could fool Marcus's wolf instincts. Why she could move through pack territory without being detected as a complete outsider. Why her scent was always just slightly off."

"But half-wolves are rare," Sophia said. "And they're usually known. Tracked."

"Not if she hid it," I countered. "Not if she suppressed her wolf side completely and lived as a full witch."

Ethan's expression darkened. "If you're right, that means she's even more dangerous than we thought."

"I know." I crossed my arms. "A witch-wolf hybrid would have access to both magic and enhanced physical abilities. She'd be nearly impossible to track or fight conventionally."

"How do we prove it?" Sophia asked.

"We don't," I said. "Not yet. But I can look into it. I have contacts in the witch community. People who might know about half-breeds operating in secret."

Ethan nodded slowly. "Do it. Whatever you need, you have my support."

I met his eyes. Saw the trust there.

It was strange. Being trusted by an Alpha I barely knew. Being included in something this important.

But it felt right.

"I'll start immediately," I said.

"Thank you, Violet." Sophia's voice was warm. Genuine.

I nodded, then headed for the door.

But as I reached for the handle, I paused.

"One more thing," I said, looking back at them. "If Lila really is a half-wolf, she won't stay gone. She'll come back. And when she does, she'll be stronger than before."

"Let her come," Ethan said, his voice hard. "We'll be ready."

I hoped he was right.

Because if my suspicions were correct, Lila was playing a game none of us fully understood yet.

And that made her the most dangerous kind of enemy.

I left the office, my mind already working through what I needed to do next.

But as I walked through the corridors, I couldn't shake Sophia's words from earlier.

Maybe Max is worth the risk.

I pushed the thought away.

One problem at a time.

First, I had to figure out what Lila really was.

Then maybe, maybe I'd deal with the mate bond issue.